Eskom’s urgent call to switch off heating appliances

Owing to a “severely constrained” power system due to the unavailability of some of its generating units, power utility Eskom has called on consumers to urgently switch off electrical heaters, geysers, pool pumps and non-essential appliances.

And it has been mooted that load shedding may become necessary

“We require voluntary savings of at least 10% in order to manage demand,” Eskom said today, 15 May.

Eskom also said it had noted rising demand, especially during peak hours as the cold weather sets in.

While it was taking all the necessary steps available to keep the lights on, it required partnership with customers to ensure that electricity usage is reduced.

“We are on track in terms of our planned maintenance schedule and have begun scaling it down to prepare for winter, while also managing unplanned outages that add more pressure on an already tight system.”

Eskom will use all necessary emergency resources at its disposal, but should the demand not decrease, load shedding will be implemented as a last resort to protect the national grid from a total shutdown.

In the event that load shedding becomes necessary, Eskom will use the published load shedding schedules, which are available on the Eskom website (www.loadshedding.eskom.co.za) for its customers. Municipal customers were being encouraged to consult their respective municipalities for their schedules.

Eskom customers can also contact the customer call centre on 0860 037 566.

The utility will provide regular updates on the status of the power system through various media platforms throughout the day.